Holiday OneShots
by freezingpizza14
Summary: Three one-shots for the holidays. Very cheesy. All one-shots are different stories,none are connected. Happy Holidays! Sorry I posted this so late after New Year's. *Percabeth*
1. One Shot 1

***There are three Christmas one-shots and a New Year's one-shot. None are connected! They are all one shots and completely apart, 4 completely different stories. All . . . filled with Christmas spirit. Yeah, let's go with that. lol**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rick Riordan's.***

(Christmas one-shot #1)

**(Annabeth's 1st person POV)**

"So . . . you're coming, right?" I asked. I'd Iris-Messaged Percy to ask if he'd wanted to go to Camp Half-Blood for three weeks during our winter break.

"Definitely," Percy said, smirking.

"Great. See you Tuesday?"

"See you Tuesday," he said. "Percy!" I heard his mother shout.

"In my room, Mom," Percy called over his shoulder. Then he grinned at me. "Got to go, Wise Girl. See you later."

"Wait, Percy, I-" But he'd already swiped his hand through the Mist, breaking the connection.

I love you, I mouthed the rest of my uncompleted sentence. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, sitting back on my heels. Percy and I have only been dating for four months, but we've known each other for four years. Really, 'I love you' was something we should have said a long time ago.

I got up from the floor of my room in the house I was staying in to be closer to the Empire State Building. Grabbing my trunk from under my bed, I started packing. T-shirts, jeans, flip flops, my teddy bear (Don't tell _anyone!) _and everything else I needed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When I arrived at camp Tuesday afternoon, Thalia was the first one to greet me.

"Hey!" I said, hugging my best friend. "You're here!"

"Yeah," she said, flipping dark hair out of her eyes. Her black hair, I noticed, had grown a few inches past her shoulders. "All the Hunters are here."

"That's great," I said. "Is Grover here too?"

Thalia linked her arm through mine and walked with me to the Athena cabin. She smirked. "Annabeth, _everyone _is already here. Travis, Connor, Nico, even Percy is already here."

"Percy is already here?" I asked.

"Upset I beat you to camp, Wise Girl?" a teasing voice said, a voice I would know anywhere.

Percy fell into step beside me, a grin on his face, his green eyes shining.

"Yeah right, Seaweed Brain," I said, smiling and reaching up to kiss him. I intwined my fingers with his.

"Oh, gross," Thalia said, wrinkling her nose. "Wait till I leave before you start getting all mushy." She quickly left for the Big House, leaving us alone. Well, almost alone.

"Hey, the lovebirds are back!" Travis Stoll bellowed.

"Back to the Canoe lake!" Clarisse grunted, and before we knew it, they'd hoisted us onto their shoulders and started for the lake. We landed in the water with a big splash, sinking to the bottom. Like before, Percy made an air bubble so I could breathe.

"I missed you," I said, wrapping my hands around his neck and inching closer.

_I missed you too, _he mouthed, since I couldn't hear him. After that, he kissed me, and it was complete bliss.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So, guess what?" Percy said as we climbed out of the lake. I stood on the dock dripping wet while he was completely dry.

"Um, you're going to dry me off?" I said, wringing out my hair.

He blushed. "Well, no, but here . . ." he touched my arm, and pretty soon I was completely dry. My arm burned from his touch.

"So what is it?" I asked. He took my hand, and we headed back for lunch.

"Well," he said, "What if I told you I got you something for Christmas?"

"Then I would kick your butt," I joked.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, start kicking then," he joked back. When I playfully raised my foot he jumped back.

"I'm kidding!" I laughed.

"Right. Yeah, I knew that. Anyway," he said, "It's nothing special."

"I'm sure I'll love it," I said softly, hoping it wasn't a pile of seaweed or something.

He met my eyes. "I hope so. But you're not getting it until tomorrow."

"What?" I fake whined. "No fair."

"Totally fair," he said, giving me a teasing kiss on the lips.

"But why wait until tomorrow?" I asked once he pulled away.

"Because . . . I don't know. I just want to."

I rolled my eyes.

Throughout the rest of the day, Percy and I rarely saw each other as we went through our camp activities. And when we did during his archery lesson . . . well, it didn't turn out so good.

I rode my pegasus across camp after landing safely to the ground from a flying lesson. As I passed Percy I saw him look up at me, and his awed expression made me blush, which only made me blush harder for blushing.

Unfortunately, he was so busy staring at me the bow-and-arrow in his hand starting tilting to the left.

"Percy!" Chiron cried, grabbing his arm. In surprise, Percy let the arrow fly, narrowly missing Clarisse's head.

"You corpse-breath worm!" Clarisse yelled. "You almost hit me!"

I covered my mouth, stiffling a laugh.

Percy blushed. "Sorry. I was distracted."

Clarisse saw me, and she scowled. "Distracted, huh?" she grunted. "Go away, princess. You're making Percy an even worse archer than he already is."

This time, Percy and I both blushed. Thalia, Nico, Grover and a bunch of watching campers were howling with laughter. I quickly sped away before Percy really shot someone, though when I turned, Chiron was keeping all bow-and-arrows far away from Percy's reach.

I rode away, laughing too.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Goodnight," Percy said.

"Goodnight, Seaweed Brain," I said back, wrapping my hands around his neck.

He leaned forward and kissed me softly. My arms tightened, and his arms squeezed the breath out of me.

"Hey, there are kids here!" Nico called. "Get a room."

I pulled away, my face hot.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "So, um, see you tomorrow?"

In responce, I pecked him on the lips, turned, and opened the door to my cabin.

"See you," Percy said, heading for his cabin. I watched him until he dissapeared into his own cabin before retreating into mine. After pulling on my pajamas I crawled into bed, and was asleep in no time.

And I had a horrible dream. Because Hera was in it.

"Hera," I said, scowling. I crossed my arms over my chest. "What an unpleasant surprise."

Her form flickered. She was wearing all black, and her image seemed fuzzy, but it was definitely the same Hera.

"You would do well to treating me with some respect, Annabeth Chase."

"I don't treat anyone who is always trying to make me step in cow poo with respect," I said coldly. "What do you want?"

"I am in terrible danger. I am trapped. Gleeson Hedge has found two demigods, and there will be a special package, a third demigod. You must retrieve him and get him to camp safely."

"Is that all?" I asked, wishing she would let me out of this nightmare.

"No." Her eyes flickered to mine. "Percy is missing. Gleeson will need back up. Go to the Grand Canyon, where they will be. Find the boy with one shoe. He will be a key in freeing me."

"Why would we want to do that?" I grumbled.

Hera's eyes flashed. "You are not helping yourself, girl. Do not anger me. Remember I am the queen of the gods. And I can choose whether or not to help you find Percy."

I scoffed. "He doesn't need finding. He's in his bed, fast asleep."

"Is he?" Hera pursed her lips. "Maybe you should check again."

"Did you do something to him?" I demanded.

Hera thought for a moment. "It was essential. A risky move, but it was to be done."

"Do what?" I asked.

"Never mind. I have said too much already. Go to the Grand Canyon. Find the boy with one shoe, if you want to find Percy."

And with that happy note, the dream faded, and I woke up to complete darkness. I scrambled out of bed and searched for my flip flops, pulling them on.

When I checked my clock, it said four o' clock in the morning. Great. But I didn't care. I had to see for myself that Hera was lying. Percy will be fast asleep in his bed, drooling on his pillow.

I marched over to the Poseidon cabin and went in. I immediately turned and . . .

Percy was gone.

"No," I said. "No, no, no." I glared at the ceiling. "Hera, you evil . . ." I didn't finish the thought. Suddenly it hit me, like a whiplash.

Percy was _gone_. And I have no idea where he is. What had Hera said? Go to the Grand Canyon.

I sat on Percy's bed, letting my traitor tears fall into my lap, when I noticed the velvet box on the bedside table. It was covered with what looked like an old shirt, but I could see the corner sticking out. I carefully peeled back the shirt. Definitely a velvet box. I carefully opened the lid.

I gasped out loud. I was . . . I was speechless.

It was a diamond necklace. Nothing fancy, but I always was kind of old-fashioned. It was a good-sized diamond hanging from a thick chain with smaller diamonds going up the chain on both sides of the bigger diamond. Curious, I took it out and held it on my palm. When I flipped it over, I saw tiny holes in the back, essential for all reals jewels to 'breathe.' This was a real diamond necklace.

This doesn't mean it's for you, I mentally told myself.

_Check again_, my mind told me. I studied the necklace, and after a moment I could make out a scribble of words on one side of the chain. I could read it easily. It was engraved in Ancient Greek.

_I love you Wise Girl_

Oh my gods. This was what he was going to give me. And he finally told me he loved me, in a totally cheezy romantic gesture, but a sweet one all the same.

After that, I lost track of the time, of everything.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(6 months later)

I held my necklace tightly in my hand as the ship slowed to land at Camp Jupiter. Thanks to Jason's memory returning, he was able to tell us the name of the camp.

Percy was down there, and I was terrified he wouldn't recognize me. If he didn't know me, I would have to make him remember.

"Yo guys, we're here!" Leo called, eager to get off the ship. "Dang, those are some tough lookin' Romans."

"Just don't anger them, okay?" Piper sighed. "No jokes."

"Aww, but I spent the whole ride coming up with some good ones. Like, why did the Roman cross the road?"

I smiled, and Jason grinned, but his tone was serious. "Dude, cracking jokes about them isn't going to help."

"Okay. But don't you want to hear the answer to the joke?"

"No time." Piper pointed. "Look."

We peered over the side, and saw hundreds of campers pouring out. Some looked from seven to twenty-one. I noticed a girl wearing a purple cape, and pretty soon a girl with curly brown hair, a guy with black hair (also wearing a purple cape), and another guy with black hair and a baby-like face joining her.

The guy in the cape with his arms around the curly-haired girl and the baby-faced guy was Percy.

"Oh my gods . . ." I gripped Piper's arm. "I-I see Percy."

"Really?" Piper asked. She squeezed my hand. "That's great."

It was. And it was even better knowing that he was down there waiting for us. Maybe for me.

Once the ship was down, a ramp lowered from the side. Leo, trying to be dramatic, was the first one, and he walked in slow motion. Piper and Jason followed, but I held back, afraid. What if he didn't recognize me?

Piper jerked her head in a _come on_ gesture. I sucked in a breath and slowly descended the ramp. When all of us were on the ground we slowly walked torward the Romans, not wanting to startle them. From their side I could hear them excitedly crying out Jason's name, but my eyes were scanning the crowd for one person.

His sea green eyes met mine, and suddenly, everything went slow, then fast, then slow again. We both started forward, but it seemed like forever to close the distance. Too slow. Then fast, when my arms finally went around him.

"I missed you so much," I crooned, before remembering. He may not know me.

But he said, "I missed you too, Annabeth. Alot," And held me tightly.

Then everything went slow again when he cradled my face in his hands and bent his face torwards mine.

When we finally pulled away, I felt like there was no one here but us. His eyes went down to the necklace. "You found it."

I blushed. "Yeah, it was sort of an accident."

"Well, I'm glad you did."

I bit my lip. "On the inside of the chain, you said you loved me."

"Yeah . . . "

"But I want to hear it from you."

He took my face in his hands again and tilted my face up. "I love you," he said.

I couldn't help but break out into a grin. "And I love you too. Merry . . . late Christmas."

He laughed. "Merry-late Christmas to you too, Wise Girl."

And we closed the gap between us.

***Sorry this was so long. It was longer than I intended it to be. And I know you guys are tired of hearing this, but sorry if it's totally cheesy. But it is a Christmas story, so it's kinda okay. :)***


	2. One Shot 2

***Disclaimer: I own NOTHING of Rick Riordan's.* **

(Christmas one-shot #2)

**(Everyone's 3rd person POV)**

It was Christmas Eve. The snow was falling hard in New York, and everything to Annabeth looked like a winter wonderland as she peered out the window of her apartment.

She was so caught up in the sight outside, the shrill ring of the phone startled her, making her jump.

"What does he want now?" she mumbled to herself. She checked the caller Id. Percy again.

"This is the third time you've called today, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth sighed.

"Sorry," Percy said. "I've just called Nico. I'm throwing a Christmas party at my place tonight, you're coming, right?"

"Of course," she said. "I wouldn't miss it."

"Okay, cool. In that case, got to go. Mom and Paul are here. You'd think that after I got my own apartment they'd be happy, but they're always over here."

"They miss you," Annabeth said. "And besides, we're twenty-two now. Having your own apartment means that your mother is just going to miss you more and more, and therefore visit you more often."

"Then I'll have to visit her more," he laughed. "But I hate that you live so far away."

"I know," Annabeth said softly. "That's going to need to change."

"Yeah, it will." She noticed how serious he'd suddenly gotten. "Okay, I really need to go. Mom's trying to make Christmas dinner for the party tonight." Now he sounded exasperated.

She laughed. "Okay. Bye, love you."

"Love you too. See you tonight."

"Okay." She hung up. She sat on her couch, tucking her legs under her and hugging a pillow to her stomach. They'd been dating for six years. They'd only broken up once, and that been the worst fight they've ever had. But it wasn't long before they'd both crawled back to each other, loaded with apoligies. She'd always hoped that he'd finally get up the courage to propose, but so far, nothing. It was agony.

She sighed and started to get up when her cat Patches jumped on her lap, purring.

"Hey, boy," she said, scratching the cat behind his ears. "You hungry?"

Patches just stared at her with his blue eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes," Annabeth laughed. She got up and left for the kitchen, and Patches intertained himself by playing with the couch pillow threads.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was seven o' clock when Annabeth finally arrived at Percy's appartment.

"Hey!" he said. "You're early."

"Yeah, I figured I would be," she laughed. Percy wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"You look great, by the way," he murmured in her ear.

"So do you," Annabeth whispered back. "Is anyone here?"

"Nope. The party doesn't start until like eight," he said.

"Good. 'Cause you and me have a date under the mistletoe."

"Um . . . a mistletoe? We don't need it."

"You owe me, Seaweed Brain," she reminded him. "I haven't seen you in two weeks."

He rolled his eyes. "Look up, Wise Girl."

She did, and hanging just above there heads was a dark green mistletoe.

When she looked back at him, Percy blushed, the box in his pocket getting heavier by the second. "Annabeth, I have to ask you something-"

Just then the doorbell rung, inturrupting.

"Never mind," Percy said. "I'll be right back."

When he opened the door, Chiron, Grover, Thalia, and a bunch of the campers from Camp Half-Blood were outside.

"Merry Christmas!" Thalia said, hugging him. "Is Annabeth already here?"

"Living room," I said.

"Percy! I missed you!" Grover tackled him with a hug.

"Hey, G-Man. I missed you too." Percy patted his shoulder.

He greeted everyone, and was about to shut the door when two new faces arrived.

"Mom, Paul."

Sally smiled. "Hi. Can we come in?"

Percy stepped back. "Yeah, of course."

"Percy." Paul patted Percy's shoulder. "How are you?"

"Fine. No monsters have tried to get me yet, so I figured I'm doing okay."

Paul laughed. "No, I suppose not. Well, Merry Christmas, anyway."

"Merry Christmas, Paul."

When Percy finally found Annabeth, she was talking to Thalia by the food table.

"So . . . you haven't told him yet?" Thalia asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "No. I'll tell him when I'm ready."

"Which will be . . . ?"

Annabeth blushed. "I don't know."

"Hey," Percy said, pretending that he hadn't been eavesdropping. "What are you girls talking about?"

Thalia pursed her lips stubbornly. "None of your business."

He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry. Geez."

"Don't mind her," Annabeth sighed, taking Percy's hand and squeezing it. "She's just annoyed because this blond haired guy was hitting on her."

"Well, I'm a Hunter!" Thalia stalked away.

"She's got such a temper," Percy muttered.

"And you don't?" Annabeth teased.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"All right, it's five minutes until midnight!" Connor shouted. "Five minutes until Christmas!"

"Good." Percy smiled. He turned to Annabeth. "I already have your present."

"And I already have yours," Annabeth said, though her legs were shaking.

"All right everyone, if you have gifts, hand them out!" Travis shouted. There was movement everywhere as presents were passed around.

Pretty soon, both Percy and Annabeth had their arms full of stuff. Someone had even stuffed a fifty dollar bill into Percy's hand, but he didn't see who.

Everyone counted down. "Five . . . four . . ."

"Annabeth," Percy said, "I have your present ready."

"Three . . . two . . ."

"One! Merry Christmas!" Everyone shouted.

Annabeth wrapped her arms around Percy's waist. He wrapped an arm around her and steered her toward the front of the room.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asked.

Percy's eyes lit up. "Something I should have done years ago."

"Hey everyone, quiet down for a second!" Nico shouted, and the room quickly went silent, as though someone had flipped a switch.

Percy took a deep breath, his heart pounding. Everyone's eyes were on them in the front of the room. Percy got down on one knee. "Annabeth, I know we've had our ups and downs. I know we're not the perfect couple, but I love you anyways. More than anything. Annabeth Chase . . . will you marry me?" He pulled a blue velvet box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a shining diamond ring. Everyone gasped.

Annabeth felt like something was something was stuck in her throat. She swallowed hard, trying to answer, but she couldn't. So she just nodded and smiled, and everyone started cheering, breaking the silence with loud yells and claps. When Percy put the ring out on her finger, she started crying. She kissed him hard. He finally proposed! But now it was her turn to deliever her gift. If only she could find her voice.

"Hey, it's Annabeth's turn!" Thalia shouted, and it took a moment, but the room went silent again.

Annabeth cleared her throat. "Percy . . ." her voice was cracking. She swallowed and tried again. "Percy, now it's my turn to deliever my gift to you."

He grinned, his eyes full of excitement. "Okay, shoot."

Her heart was pounding, but she had to get the words out. "Percy . . . . you . . . you're going to be a father." Her hands were shaking. "I'm pregnant."

"You . . . I mean . . ." Percy couldn't speak. "You're really . . ."

Annabeth gave a weak smile, but her legs were still wobbly. "Really."

And then he took her by absolute surprise. He picked her up, spun her around, and shouted, "My fiance's pregnant!"

After that, it was impossible to hear anything through the shouts and yells. It was so loud, everyone who lived farther away from the apartment could even easily hear. Percy never let go of Annabeth, and held her tightly as they went around, getting congratulations from everyone.

Somehow, they eventually ended up back under the mistletoe.

"Merry Christmas, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Wise Girl."

And after they kissed . . . well, the police came for the loud noise disturbing the neighbors.

But it was worth it.

Merry Christmas!


	3. One Shot 3

***Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rick Riordan's. Wish I did.***

(New Year's one-shot)

**(Percy's 1st person POV)**

"Hey," Annabeth said, falling into step with me.

"Hey," I said. "You staying up for the New Year's party tonight?"

"Of course," she said. "And as my best friend, you're required to be my date."

"Y-your date?" I stammered. My tongue suddenly felt really dry, making it hard to talk.

She bumped my shoulder. "Yes, Seaweed Brain, my date. Is that a problem?"

"Uh-nope," I said, mentally slapping myself for sounding so pathetic.

"Good. I have to teach an archery lesson. See you later?"

"Yeah," I said. "See you later." As soon as she left I went to the Big House. Inside I found Grover and Nico taking down the mistletoes from the ceiling when the Aphrodite kids weren't looking. The last time they caught someone trying to take down a mistletoe, the poor guy ended up wearing his clothes two sizes too small for weeks.

"Guys, Annabeth just asked me to the New Year's party," I said.

Nico dropped the mistletoe. "Dude, no way!"

"What did you say?" Grover asked.

"Well, she didn't really ask me. She just said as her best friend I had to be her date."

Grover's and Nico's mouths dropped open. "No way."

"Yep," I said.

"And you said . . . ?" Nico pressed.

"I said 'y-your date?' like an idiot." I blushed.

"And?" Grover and Nico were both leaning torwards me now, curious. I noticed the Aphrodite kids sneak up behind them and hang a mistletoe over their heads, but I didn't say anything.

I leaned back. "And nothing. She said 'is that a problem?' and I said nope, she left, and I came here to be interrogated by you two."

Grover scoffed. "We're not interrogating you!"

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway," I said, standing up, "I better go. And just to let you guys know, there's a mistletoe hanging over your heads."

They both looked up and retreated as far away from each other as possible.

Laughing, I walked out of the Big House when I heard my name. Turning, I saw Leo. He sprinted to my side.

"Hey man, what's up?" I asked.

"Chiron needs you." He was panting hard; he sounded like he'd ran pretty hard.

"Why, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Annabeth . . ." he wheezed, "Hurt . . . needs help . . . in archery . . . ."

"Thanks, man." I broke into a sprint, hoping it wasn't anything serious. A picture of Annabeth with an arrow in her stomach sent shivers down my spine, and I starting running.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When I got there, a crowd blocked my view. I pushed passed them, and when I saw her pale and laying on the ground it felt like the breath was squeezed out of me.

"Annabeth!"

She turned her head. "Hey," she croaked. "Pretty stupid of me, huh?"

I took her hand, and she was as cold as ice. "What happened?" I asked.

Chiron, who was on Annabeth's other side treating her wound, said, "She was shot with an arrow. It lodged into her side, but she's going to be okay with some Nectar and Ambrosia."

I breathed a sigh in relief. Annabeth was okay.

"You're breathing pretty hard," Annabeth noticed, staring at my sweat-covered face. "You ran all the way here?"

I blushed. "Leo didn't explain much. Just that you were hurt."

"So you immediately rushed to my side," she said. "Thank you."

My face felt really hot now, and it had nothing to do with the heat. "No problem. That's what besties do."

She rolled her eyes. "Besties," she muttered. "Such a Seaweed Brain."

"Okay," Chiron said. "You're going to be okay, you just need to take it easy for a while, alright? And maybe you should go rest for a while."

"Okay," Annabeth said. She sat up and winced. "Ow."

"Can you walk?" Chiron asked.

Annabeth winced again and held her side. "Yeah, I-I think so." But it was clear when she moved that she couldn't. I felt so bad for her. Putting her arms around my neck, I easily lifted her. She tucked her head into my neck.

Ignoring the stares I knew I was getting, I carried Annabeth all the way to her cabin. Once I managed to get the door open, I gently lay Annabeth down on her bed. Her breathing was labored, but her temperature returned to normal. She was already asleep.

I shut the door behind me as quietly as possible, and when I turned Thalia was waiting for me.

"Hey," I said. "You're here!"

"Yep," she said, smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes. It was clear she'd already heard about Annabeth. "We just now got here." She hugged me, then pulled away. "So . . . how's Annabeth?"

"Good," I said. Thalia looked relieved. "She had an arrow shot into her side, but she's resting now."

"That's good," Thalia sighed. "But who in Hades shot her?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Chiron wouldn't say. He said it didn't matter, it was an accident anyway."

"When I get my hands around that little punk's neck . . ." Thalia grumbled.

I laughed. "Gods, Thals. You're starting to sound like Clarisse now."

She punched my shoulder. "Shut up. And don't call me that."

"Okay. How about . . . Pinecone Face?"

"Now you're pushing it, Jackson."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The party would start at nine and end at twelve, the beginning of the new year. It's going to be at the beach, and there were rumors going around that Chiron had booked a really awesome band to play.

After dinner, everyone was fidgety and anxious. When nine o' clock finally struck, everyone basically ran to the beach in excitement. Since Annabeth was still in bed resting, Thalia tagged along with me instead. Pretty soon Nico, Grover, and his girlfriend Juniper joined us, and we walked down to the beach together.

The rumors were right; there was a stage set up, and Thalia shrieked at Green Day playing on the stage.

"Oh my gods, I love Green Day!"

"We know," Nico, Grover and I said together, rolling our eyes.

While Thalia danced to '21 Guns,' I headed toward the food table. There was a variety number of food choices, including chocolate, and my mouth watered, despite the fact that I already ate.

I was reaching for my fourth piece of chocolate when a hand - quick as lightning - reached out and grabbed it.

"Hey!" I protested, until I saw that it was Annabeth.

"Hey yourself," she said, stuffing the chocolate into her mouth.

"What are you doing out of bed?" I asked, glaring at her.

She shook her head at me. "Don't give me that look. Chiron said I was okay to come."

"Are you sure?" I checked, just to make sure. Her temperature seemed completely fine now, and her face wasn't pale anymore.

"I'm completely fine now," she insisted. "So, did you have a dance with anyone yet?"

"Um, no. I can't dance, you know that."

"Well, now you are." She grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You know how, in the heat of the moment, you do something completely reckless that you wouldn't probably do under normal circumstances?

Well, I did. Like an idiot.

"It's almost midnight!" Annabeth said.

Ways down the beach, we saw the fireworks that were getting ready to be launched into the sky. Everyone was calming down, quieting. When midnight hit I knew it was going to be like a bomb exploding. This quiet was not going to last long.

Chiron trotted to the front of the beach, and raised his glass. "To a new year!"

Everyone copied him, raising their glasses into the air.

"Almost there now . . ." Grover murmured.

"Start the count down . . . now!" Travis Stoll yelled.

"Five!"

Even I had to admit, I was caught up in the moment. Everyone was counting down.

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"ONE! Happy New Year's!" Everyone shouted, so loud it almost burst my eardrums. The fireworks were set off, lighting up the sky. Some people even grabbed the person nearest to them and kissed them.

And I'm embarrassed to admit that I was one of them.

As everyone screamed Happy New Year's, Annabeth wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist too, and when our faces were just and inch apart, I leaned foward . . . and kissed her.

It didn't last very long. I pulled away. Annabeth was staring at me, but only one expression was readable: shock.

Like a coward, I turned and ran.

"Percy, wait!" Annabeth shouted, but I ran until I was safely in the Poseidon cabin. I slammed the door behind me.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I muttered angrily to myself, pacing the floor. Why did I do that? Now she would probably never speak to me again. I would have to make something up. I could say it was nothing, just a friendly thing for the new year. But Annabeth wasn't stupid. She wouldn't believe anything I told her.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Percy?" Annabeth called. My heart jumped. I stayed silent.

"Percy," she tried again. "I know you're in there, I saw you! Come out!"

I took a deep breath. I'd already acted cowardly tonight by running away. I couldn't just hide in my cabin. I had to face her sooner or later.

Slowly, I opened the door and peered out. Annabeth was standing there, breathless. She'd obviously ran to catch up to me.

"I'm sorry," I blurted. Not exactly perfect, but I had to say something.

She met my eyes. "Come out here," she said. "Quit hiding behind the door."

I was afraid that the door was the only thing keeping me from getting punched, but I reluctantly stepped out.

I walked toward her until I was a few feet away. But she started walking toward me.

"Look-" I swallowed. "I'm sorry. It was the moment, I was just-"

"Stop." And then Annabeth did something that took me by surprise. She wrapped her hands around my neck and moved closer to me. "It's okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes," she said.

"Then . . . why are you here?"

"To finish what you started." Then she kissed me, and it felt like my brain melted right then and there.

We stayed like that for a long time, watching the fireworks with our arms wrapped around each other.

"Happy New Year's," she whispered, snuggling closer to me.

"Happy New Year's."

***Well, that's the end of this. Thanks for reading, hoped you enjoyed it, sorry I posted it so late, and blah blah blah. Happy Holidays! And if you want to know who accidently shot her, it was Piper. I just picked someone random. And don't forget to review!***


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